The journal · field notes from Morocco
No top-10 listicles. Slow, opinionated dispatches from the atelier on when to come, where to go first, what to skip and how to spend your dirhams well. Read before you book — and certainly before you pack.
This month's long-read
One slow, in-house piece every month. No commissioned writers, no sponsored takes — just the answers we already give our guests on WhatsApp, written down properly.
Latest field note 9 min readPlanning · June 2026
A dirham-by-dirham budget for the blue city: realistic daily spend tiers, what riads and meals actually cost, bus and grand-taxi fares from Tangier and Fes, the Akchour day, and how much cash to carry.
The archive
Re-read every season by our team. If anything is out of date we annotate it at the top of the piece — Morocco changes slowly, but it does change.
02North 8 minNorth · June 2026
Northern Morocco's UNESCO 'White Dove' with a Spanish soul, barely an hour from the blue city: what to see in the medina and Ensanche, how far it is, and whether to go as a day trip or a stop on the drive.
03Planning 9 minPlanning · June 2026
An honest local answer to whether the blue city is safe: for tourists, solo travellers and women, how to handle the kif and hashish you'll be offered in the Rif, the small faux-guide hustles, walking at night, hiking Akchour safely, and how it compares with Marrakech and Fes.
04North 11 minNorth · June 2026
The whole planning question in one place: is the blue city worth visiting, how to reach it from Tangier or Fes, what's around it (the Akchour waterfalls, the Rif and Talassemtane, Tetouan and the coast), how many days you need and when to go.
05Marrakech 9 minMarrakech · June 2026
Most people try to do Marrakech in 36 hours and leave exhausted. Here is the three-day rhythm we recommend for first-timers — the medina, Majorelle, an Atlas day, what to skip and where to eat.
06Desert 10 minDesert · June 2026
Merzouga or Zagora? Standard or luxury? We map the trade-offs in distance, dunes, silence and price — and what a night under canvas actually includes — with the camps we still send guests to.
07Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
The etiquette and the mechanics of bargaining — fair price ranges, the phrases that help, what's actually fixed-price, the set-ups to sidestep, and why walking away is your strongest move.
08Practical 6 minPractical · May 2026
Guides, drivers, riads, camps, restaurants — who to tip, how much, and in what currency. The honest, no-guesswork numbers we give our own guests before every trip.
09Fes 10 minFes · June 2026
The world's largest car-free urban area is a 13th-century city still running in real time. The tanneries, the Qarawiyyin, the art of getting pleasantly lost — and when to hire a guide.
10Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Bessara at dawn, mechoui, seven-vegetable couscous on a Friday, the street-food stalls worth queuing for — what to order, where, and how to eat well whatever your diet.
11Atlas 7 minAtlas · June 2026
Imlil, the Ourika valley, Berber villages and waterfalls are an hour from the Red City. What a good day actually looks like — and the tourist traps to drive past.
12Coast 7 minCoast · June 2026
Three hours from Marrakech, the Atlantic's most likeable town — fortified ramparts, a working fishing port, kitesurf wind and a music soul. How to spend a perfect 48 hours.
13Planning 9 minPlanning · June 2026
The honest, current picture — solo and women travellers, the common souk set-ups, which areas to know about, health and the road. What we actually tell our own guests.
14Practical 7 minPractical · June 2026
No 'breathable convertible trousers'. A real packing list that changes with the month and the route — medina, mountains, coast and desert all ask for different things.
15Planning 8 minPlanning · June 2026
Daily spend, where the money goes and the honest ways to save without missing the point of the trip — with sample budgets in USD for shoestring, mid-range and comfortable.
16Marrakech 7 minMarrakech · June 2026
What a riad actually is, which neighbourhoods suit which travellers, and what to look for before you book — so you get the courtyard, the calm and the location right.
17Itineraries 11 minItineraries · June 2026
The classic one-week loop, day by day — Marrakech, the High Atlas, Aït Ben Haddou, the Dades, the Merzouga dunes and Fes — with honest drive times and what to skip.
18Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
Road conditions, police checkpoints, city parking, fuel and the real cost trade-off — and why most of our guests end up with a private driver instead of a rental.
19Culture 6 minCulture · June 2026
Why it's poured from a height, what 'Berber whisky' means, how it's brewed and the etiquette of accepting a glass — the small ceremony at the heart of Moroccan hospitality.
20Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
The UNESCO earthen citadel south of the Atlas — its history, the films shot there (Gladiator to Game of Thrones), and how to visit properly from Marrakech or Ouarzazate.
21Marrakech 9 minMarrakech · June 2026
Rugs, leather, lanterns, ceramics and argan — where to find the real thing in the medina, how to bargain without stress, and how to get it all home.
22Family 9 minFamily · June 2026
Where to go, how to pace it, the riads that work for families, camel rides and food kids will actually eat — the practical things we tell parents before they come.
23North 7 minNorth · June 2026
Why it's painted blue, what to actually do there, day trip versus overnight, the best photo spots and how to get to the Rif's most photogenic town.
24Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
From the blue lanes of Chefchaouen to the dunes of Merzouga and the kasbahs of the south — where to shoot, when the light is right, and the etiquette of the lens.
25Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
Big dunes and a longer drive, or accessible desert closer to Marrakech? We compare Erg Chebbi and the Zagora/Chigaga route on dunes, drive time, crowds and cost.
26Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
Gnaoua in Essaouira, the rose festival in the Dades, sacred music in Fes, moussems and Ramadan — the events worth planning a trip around, month by month.
27Desert 7 minDesert · June 2026
Camel arrival, the tents, dinner under the stars, the cold nights, the sunrise on the dunes — and the difference between a standard and a luxury Sahara camp.
28Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Jemaa el-Fnaa stalls, the best tagine and tangia, where locals actually eat, street snacks, and the rooftop tables worth the splurge — how to eat well in the Red City.
29North 8 minNorth · March 2025
When to visit Chefchaouen, month by month: typical Rif-mountain weather, the green spring and golden autumn shoulder seasons, the best light for photographing the blue walls, and crowd and Ramadan tips.
30North 7 minNorth · March 2025
An honest area guide to where to stay in Chefchaouen: inside the blue medina, around Plaza Uta el-Hammam, the upper town near the Spanish mosque, or just outside the old town with parking — with the trade-offs of each.
31Food 7 minFood · March 2025
A local food guide to Chefchaouen: fresh goat cheese (jben), bissara fava-bean soup, Rif olives and olive oil, goat tagines, mountain honey and mint tea on a blue terrace — the simple, mountain-fresh cooking of the blue city.
32Practical 7 minPractical · March 2025
How to reach Chefchaouen — which has no airport or train station — by CTM/Supratours bus, shared grand taxi or transfer from Tangier, Fès or Tetouan, plus how to get around the steep, car-free blue medina entirely on foot.
33Practical 7 minPractical · March 2025
Honest things to know before visiting Chefchaouen: the famous blue lanes get busy midday, so go early or near sunset; it's a small, steep, cobbled mountain town; pack layers as it's cooler than the lowlands; bring cash; and dress modestly.
34Planning 7 minPlanning · April 2025
How many days do you need in Chefchaouen? An honest trip-length guide for a small Rif mountain town: the half-day or day trip, the one-night sweet spot, and when 2–3 days (and the Akchour waterfalls) are worth it.
35Planning 7 minPlanning · June 2026
Is Chefchaouen worth the trip — and worth the long drive from Fes or Marrakech? An honest take on who should go, who should skip it, whether the blue city is a tourist trap, and how to make the detour earn its place.
36North 7 minNorth · April 2025
The blue city at its coldest, dampest and quietest: cool Rif-mountain days, misty mornings, occasional snow on the peaks, far fewer crowds and lower prices. What to expect, the heating question, the Akchour caveat and how to pack.
37North 8 minNorth · April 2025
A slow, photogenic mountain escape for two: blue lanes hand in hand, sunset over the whole blue city from the Spanish Mosque, boutique riads with rooftop terraces, candle-lit Rif dinners and easy nature together — with an honest take on the small, quiet pace.
38North 8 minNorth · June 2026
Already staying in the blue city? The best excursions from Chefchaouen, ranked: the Akchour waterfalls and God's Bridge, Talassemtane National Park, Tetouan's UNESCO medina, the Mediterranean coast and the Rif forests — with honest drive times and how to get there.
39North 6 minNorth · June 2026
Mondays and Thursdays the Rif comes down the mountain to sell. Where the open-air market sets up below the medina, what's on the stalls — goat cheese, figs, honey, wool — when to go, and the camera etiquette.
Letters from Marrakech
No marketing. Just one field note, one riad we love this season, one practical tip — written in plain English, signed by a real person.
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